Handbag



T. W. HINES HANDBAG Sept. 30, 1947.

Filed Jan. 1 1945 m y & m 4

Patented Sept. 30, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE HANDBAG Thomas W.Hines, Trenton, N. J., assignor to Atlantic Products Corporation,Trenton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 1, 1945,Serial No. 570326 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to hand bags of the nonrigid type having anopening adapted to be closed by a slide astener.

In bags of this type the opening is formed in a gusset which is attachedalong its side edges to the side panels of the bag, withthe ends of thegusset forming the end panels of the bag. While such bags are describedas non-rigid, in the sense that they have no reinforcement by rigidmaterials such as Wood or metal, nevertheless the inherent stiffness ofthe materials of which such bags are made, such as leather or cottonduck, for example, is such as to cause such bags to hold their shape.consequently, when the slide fastener is opened, the edges of theopening tend to stand together, thus making it difficult to pack orunpack the bag.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a Construction inwhich the gusset is so arranged that there is less tendency for theedges of the opening to stand together, so that when said edges areseparated,` they tend to remain separated, thus making it easier to packand unpack the bag.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes ofillustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figura 1 is a perspective View, partly broken away, of the bag in closedposition.

Figure 2 is a similar perspectiv view of the bag in open position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing the relationof the connecting panel to the gusset and end panel.

Referring to the drawings, the bag comprises a pair of side panels l, abottom panel (not shown), a pair of end panels 3 and a gusset 4. Thebottom edges of the side panels and end panels are folded under thebottom of the bag and secured thereto in any suitable manner. The endpanels extend upwardly from the bottom of the bag, and the side edges ofthe end panels are secured to the side edges of the side panels alongthe corners 5. The gusset 4 extends along the top of the bag, beingrelatively narrow in the top portion, and the ends of the gusset extenddownwardly at the ends of the bag, the downwardly extending portionsbeing of increasing width toward their ends. The side edges of the ussetalong the top of the bag are secured to the top edges of the side panelsalong the corners E and the side edges of the downwardly xtendingportions of the gusset are secured to the side edge of the side panelsalong the corners 1 The gusset is provided with an elongated opening 8ext-,ending from one end thereof to the other, and interlocking membersof a slide fastener 9 are secured to the side edges of the opening.

The lower ends of the gusset overlap the upper ends of the end panelsbut terminate short of the bottom of the bag, and connecting panels H)are secured to the bottom edges of the gusset and the top edges of theend panels to form a Z- shaped pleated Construction which permits theends of the gusset to move relative to the end panels. Thus, when theslide fastener is opened, and the edges of the opening are pushed apart,the connecting panels permit the ends of the gusset to move upwardly, asshown in Figure 2, with the result that the bag tends to stand openwhile being packed or unpacked.

Because of the fact that the lower ends of the gusset overlap the upperends of the end panels, an additional advantage is obtained in that theupper ends of the end panels separate the contents of the bag from theslide fastener at both ends thereof and prevent such contents frominterfering with the proper operation of the slide fastener at both endsthereof where this difiiculty is most frequently experienced. In order tincrease this protection, the top edges of the end panels may beextended upwardly in inverted V- shape, as shown, with the connectingpanels shaped accordingly. i

It willbe understood that the invention may be variously modified andembodied within the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim as my invention:

A handbag comprising a pair of side panels, a pair of end panels, theside edges of said end panels being secured to the side edges of saidside panels, a bottom panel secured to the bottom edges of said sidpanels and said end panels, a gusset extending along the top of the bagand having its side edges secured to the top edges of said side panelsand extending downwardly at each end of the bag and having the sideedges of the downwardy extendng portions Secured to the side edges ofsaid side panels, said gusset having an elongated opening extendng fromone end thereof to the other, and having interlocking members of a slidefastener Secured to the 6 side edges of said opening, the lower ends ofsaid gusset overlapplng the upper ends of said end panels, butterminatlng short of the bottom of the bag, and connecting panelssecured to the bottom edges of said gusset and to th upper 10 edges ofsaid end panels and forming therewth a z-shaped pleated Constructionpermittng the ends of the gusset to move relative to said end panels.

THOMAS W. I-IINES.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

